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It has been suggested that many of the visits we make to our GPs are related to pain of the muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves.

Osteopathy is a hands-on, holistic treatment that involves diagnosing, managing and treating musculoskeletal and related conditions. It is often thought of as a treatment for back and neck pain only, but osteopathy can help a wide range of conditions, such as:

repetitive strain injury

poor posture or posture-related pain

arthritis

minor sports injuries.

What happens at an osteopathy session?

An initial consultation will usually last between 45 minutes and one hour. The following sessions will be about 30 minutes. During this first visit, the osteopath will want you to explain the problem and will ask you about your medical history.

Next they may perform a physical examination. They may ask you to perform some simple exercises so they can observe your posture and...

Those ‘killer heels’ you love so much may be causing more problems than you think.

It is said that one in 10 women wear high heels up to three days a week and up to a third of women have fallen when wearing them. Recent statistics have shown that one of the biggest factors leading to foot pain in women is a high heel.

If you wear high heels often, you will be more at risk of developing permanent health issues later in life.

When wearing a shoe with a heel higher than two inches, the foot slides forward, forcing the toes into an unnatural shape. This unnatural shape means the body weight is distributed incorrectly, causing you to overarch your back and put strain on your hips, knees and lower back.

High heels have also been linked to the following problems:

nerve damage

bunions

overworked leg muscles

lower back pain

osteoarthritis of the knee.

Osteopathic physician, Natalie Nevins explains how extended wear of high heels can cause a range of ailments, for example, continually...

From homeopathy to acupuncture – keep reading to find out why conventional medicine isn’t the be-all and end-all for Lucinda Riley.

Up until the age of 18, Lucinda Riley avoided any health issues and was an incredibly fit trained dancer. When she turned 18 however, her body buckled under the pressure and she came down with glandular fever.

Ever since this bout of illness, Lucinda has failed to feel 100%. She was diagnosed as carrying the Epstein-Barr virus which causes her glandular fever symptoms to flare up whenever she gets run-down or stressed.

Falling ill once again at the age of 23, Lucinda uncovered her talent as a writer...

As this week was Back Care Awareness Week, we thought now was a good time to learn how to sit correctly to prevent back pain.

For many of us, using ergonomic equipment is the only way we can get ourselves in the right position when seated, but if we took a few tips from babies, this could all be avoided.

Babies learn to sit up all on their own. Sure, mothers do help out a little by propping their babies up, but ultimately it is all down to the baby figuring out how to align their spine and balance that heavy head. The key to their success is the rather oddly shaped pelvis bone. When babies are able to rest their weight on the pubis ramus at the front of the sit bones,...

If you suffer from chronic pain, see below for our top pick of alternative treatments.

Chronic pain is pain that persists for longer than six months. The level of pain differs from patient to patient, with some only experiencing inconvenient episodes of mild pain and others experiencing completely incapacitating constant pain.

Often, the source of chronic pain is difficult to pinpoint and measure, and it not something a doctor can instantly fix with a short prescription.

In many cases it takes a considerable length of time to diagnose, after which painkillers are prescribed. Of...

Sore throats, stubbed toes, grazed knees, nosebleeds and broken bones…injury isn’t exactly a rarity among mankind, especially considering we’re soft and squidgy in a world full of hard surfaces.

In fact according to a recent study of 2,000 people, the average person clocks up well over 10,000 injuries in their average 80.5 year lifespan.

UK lawyer firm Slater & Gordon found that people suffer four sore throats, two nosebleeds and six cuts every year, and have at least two surgical operations, two car accidents and one broken bone in their lifetimes.

Lawyer Simon Allen said: “Although the idea of suffering more than 10,000 injuries over 80 years is a little worrying, for most people bumps and bruises are injuries they will quickly recover from and won’t cause lasting pain or damage.”

He said the most worrying aspect of the study is that more than a third suffered their injuries at work. Nearly a quarter of all...

Research shows women who smoke or have smoked regularly are twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Scientists in Sweden examined data from 34,101 women between the ages of 54 and 89. Of these, 219 had RA.

RA is joint damage caused by the immune system. Unlike osteoarthritis, it is caused by the body attacking itself rather than by general wear and tear from stress and injuries.

The researchers found that women who smoked for longer had a higher risk of developing RA than those who gave up. However, even 15 years after quitting smoking, the risk of developing RA was still twice as high as it was for non-smokers.

Lead researcher Ms Daniela Di Giuseppe, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said: “Stopping smoking is important for many health reasons, including the increased risk of RA for smokers. But the clearly increased risk of developing RA, even many years after giving up, is another reason to stop smoking...

According to the British College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM), experts at their London clinic have seen a huge increase in the number of patients seen for gadget related strain injuries post Christmas.

Though BCOM would not release the exact number of patients due to confidentiality issues, Osteopaths have reported an increase of 72 per cent in the number of people suffering from strain injuries due to continued use of their Wii or iPhone.

Experts have recommended that individuals warm up before using the Wii and have said that those suffering with strain injury should perform gentle stretching exercises before playing sports games.

However, the Wii is not the only gadget that can cause problems, with the iPhone causing neck ache and headaches in those who continually make phone calls, play games or use apps.
Experts have stressed that if an ache or pain is not eased by gentle stretching, individuals should seek advice from a GP or...